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Show Comments Free Press Wednesday, June New golf course is good news for everyone Perhaps the opening of a new golf course isn't the type of event to stir the interest of the general public. But last week's opening of the Golf Course at Thanksgiving Point is significant for north Utah County. To be sure, many local golfers may never see the course. With green fees set at $52 on weekdays and $68 on Fridays and Saturdays, the price may be too dear for your average weekend duffer. And many others who never play golf will probably never walk the bro;ul expanse of the fairways or experience the view of north Utah County from a bunker. Still, Johnny Miller, course designer, and Alan Ashton, owner of Thanksgiving Point, have crafted a remarkable achievement in the inhospitable lands just south of Point of the Mountain. The 195 acre course is Utah's largest. A dazzling array of tee areas (five on each hole) lets the golfer tailor the course to his or her particular needs. And from the long tees, the Golf Course at Thanksgiving Point offers what Miller thinks is Utah's most challenging and beautiful golf course. That combinat ion of challenge and beauty means that Thanksgiving Point may soon host some of the premier golfing events in Utah and even in the western states. That's one more reason for people to come to the north valley area, see what we have I ..... Page 2 Just the other day, remember when...? Editorial - 25, 1997 to offer, and maybe even spend some money at the local business establishments. This is just more of what Thanksgivint Point has already done for the area. Also, the opening of the Golf Course at Thanksgiving Point marks a kind of half-wa- y mark for this remarkable project, and with each phase, the Point becomes more accessible for the public. The Christmas lighting display attracted thousands of visitors. The farm has become a regular stop for many elementary school field trips. Still to come is the actual reason for Thanksgiving Point's existence, the gardens for which the entire project was conceived. By their nature, Thanksgiving Point's gardens will be the last phase of the project. When the Ashtons first announced the plans to create their dream in Lehi, it was hard to conceive what they had in mind, and even harder for some to imagine it coming to pass. But we are gradually being won over. The Golf Course at Thanksgiving Point is a rermrkable achievement a world class golf course built in record time. While many of us may never hit a drive off one of the tee boxes, slice a fairway shot into the rough or sink a putt from the other side of the green, our communities are enriched with this wonderful addition to north Utah County attractions. ihiiiim mm ZT!W?Wff!?T Are the pots even cold from the Dutch last year? Often, when I try to relate an experience that has happened, I will use the phrase "the other day" in explaining the time of the event. My wife finds this habit absurd, and probably annoying, because in nearly all of the cases, "the other day" is, in actuality, and should be more accurately described as oven cookoff "yesterday." When it comes to a recent occurrence, I seem to have no concept of time, and I somehow think that something happened farther in the past than it did. Perhaps I do that because time seems to fly by so quickly, and events such as last year's Roundup seem to have happened only yesterday. With my involvement in the Miss Lehi Pageant, for example, each queen seems to reign for only a few months instead of an entire year before it is time to pass on her crown or to represent the community at Miss Utah. The of the community probably know what that feeling is like, too. As with many other activities, those who succeed in projects are often asked to repeat their performance the next year. They spend their creative energy coming up with an idea to fit the theme and they carry it out in the construction, perhaps winning one of the awards along the way. I would imagine that, to them, a year passes much too quickly before they have to start thinking about their next entry. On occasion, I have had to refer to a previous issue of the Free Press to get information about a story that has already been printed. A recent example of that was when I needed to find out the time frame for the float-make- The Daly BS Planet installation of the pressurized irrigation system. Although I could vividly remember writsome of the events of that project ing stories about what would happen with the new system; gathering comments from citizens, some of whom were supportive while others were critical; and especially being concerned about my children playing on the heavy equipment when it was I could not parked in front of our house believe how far back I had to look in the archives to find that information. Despite the inconvenience of closed and torn up roads that once plagued our lives and peppered our conversations, the system was installed and has been part of our lives for many years now. Someday we may say the same thing of the traffic lights that are going in on Main Street. For at least two or three years, I'm sure we will proudly say "I remember when we didn't have any stop lights on Main Street. We used to have to sit there for hours waiting to get across." Time will pass quickly, though, and the lights that are installed this year will soon become just another part of life. In addition to the rejoicing I will be doing in a couple of months when school Did you ever get your mouth set for a particular taste treat, only to be denied the object of our culinary desire? It's a really disappointment, isn't it? Take, for example, this past week. Thursday afternoon we loaded up the car (actually it was just Sharon and Kari and I) and headed for Pleasant Grove for, what else, a delicious helping of strawberries and . By MARC HADDOCK cream. Since moving to north Utah County, this has become an annual tradition. We usually attend the parade in the morning, when our kids are marching in the parade, and then a parking place across the street from the return in the evening for a bowl of the fruit carnival and made our way across the street. for which Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days There was the booth, in its usual place. But is named. when we got around to the front of red trail Never mind the berries all come from er, the doors were shut and locked, the win- California now and you'd be hard pressed, to rfnwg were dnwn tiphfc and A pronn nf nennlp find k seiious field of strawberries anywhere stood about looking at the trailer with a look . . . .. 1:4.: r . jm it.. uie luuuiy, iU. uie uauiuua aim ilwe wtuiii , uir cuiuusiun aim uitsitppumuuem. weather that accompanies the first days of , What? No strawberries? How could this summer always combine to make that bowl be? of strawberries the best bowl of strawberries We wandered around the city park aimyou are going to eat all year. lessly watching people spend too much And the sweetened milk they use as money to be hammered by the hammer or to "cream" makes the treat all the more delecWe looked for get rolled on the table. My mother used to sprinkle sugar over someone who could explain why there were the strawberries to get the right touch of no strawberries this Strawberry Day. sweetness, but you never need any of that at Finally we found someone who explained Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days. that only one person had been running the and she had gone home to take care Traditionally we travel to the center of booth of her family. town, where the carnival is in full swing. It's not that we crave a ride on the Ring of Fire We wandered around for a few minutes, (heaven forbid) but the strawberry booth is hoping someone else would show up to sell accessible and the carnival atmosphere is some strawberries. We figured the strawberkind of catchy. ry booth at the rodeo was up and running According to tradition, we arrived about 7 since the rodeo would be beginning in a few minutes. But there were so many people and p.m., after dinner but before dark. We found column . u ....... If" r r Dixie Colledge Carpenter was 4 when this photograph was used to promote the Lehi Roundup. taken and Roundup memories By KALYN SECRETAN The Lehi Roundup celebration holds fond memories for generations. Many will remember their mothers and family and friends putting a float together on the kid's wagon so the kids could be in the parade. Dixie Colledge, now Dixie Carpenter of Pleasant Grove, has fond memories of the Lehi Roundup. She remembers someone coming to her home, putting a cowboy outfit on her and taking a picture with the Lehi Roundup banner in front of a car. The year was 1941 and she was four years old. The picture was put on a huge poster and mounted on a barn. Dixie lived on the corner by Whipple Lumber Yard where the dairy used to be. In 1942, Dixie rode in the parade as the Victory Queen. Her sister, Connie, marched at her side holding the flag. She remembers the Strasburg sisters stood her on a chair and draped her with a sheet. It was during the war and people used whatever they had to put together a float and a costume. She will never forget a soldier who threw a silver dollar on her float. She wishes she still had that dollar. I remember my mom decorating and dressing my brother, Dennis Peck, and I up as a bride and groom. I was so proud. We lived near the rodeo grounds and sometimes we had a special Rodeo Days outfit. My mom made me a skirt and vest out of oilcloth. Leany's store stocked up on cowboy hats and many of the kids got a new hat for the celebration. Others I remember who made creative floats are Alice Broadbent, Pauline Smuin and Laura Strasburg. Kids can still be in the parade and carry a lasting memory. e. y Opinion By JENNIFER SHUMWAY BALLARD is different for every person, but most of them just feel a strong desire to get to know their ancestors better. You know the old saying about walking a mile in their shoes. Well, they think maybe by walking a thousand miles in their ancestors' shoes (so to speak), they can learn something more about themselves. Many of you wonder how these people can take three months out of their lives, jobs, school, etc. to go on the trek. No, the participants aren't unemployed, exentric bums. Most of the people are participating under great personal sacrifice. Some have turned over businesses to others for three months; some have arranged extended leaves from work; many children complete homework on the trail and send it via the internet to waiting teachers. Others, who are unable to take off the entire three months, use their vacation time or a weekend to come out, and still others are being sponsored financially by friends and family. The question I'm asked probably more than any other concerns "what is going on out there." Frankly, it's hard to explain. From the outside, people are walking and riding in wagons, camping you know, the years. I met a woman who had come to the area to attend her class reunion in Pleasant Grove. Foolishly, I assumed it was for a much earlier class than mine. I was wrong. As I talked with her, I found out she had graduated the same year as I did, and had attended school with my cousin. I told my wife later that I had felt the woman looked older than me, but then I realized that maybe I ignore mirrors more often than I think. With the 1997 Roundup, it was more than "just the other day" but I'm still surprised that it is here again. That reminds me just the other day, I had this great rodeo hamburger. so many cars around the rodeo grounds that we figured any attempt to enter there would be fraught with peril. not if I I Besides, I am not a rodeo-goe- r can help it, anyway. So we headed for home. On the way we bought some California strawberries in American Fork, rather than in Pleasant Grove. We also bought a can of Eagle Brand condensed milk, the kind that's already sweetened. Then we went home, sliced up our strawberries, mixed the Eagle milk with some regular milk to make it less thick, and poured it over the strawberries. There, in the peace and quiet of our kitchen . we sat down to the treat for which we had set our palates an hour earlier and ate strawberries and cream until we were sated. We didn't find time in our busy schedule (a. return to Pleasant Grove again whjle.. tiik." festivities were underway. So we missed put 2 on the Strawberry Days experience, as a whole. I'm sure our experience was atypical. Bad timing, pi obably. But, you know, we would have paid twice the going price for those strawberries and cream if someone had just showed up to sell J them before we gave up and left for home. It's a shame to create a demand for something y like that and then cut off the supply. It forces the consumer to find another sup- plier, and that can't be good for business. Oh, we'll be back next year. We are forgiv-ing people, aren't we? And the tradition is a : . good one. On the bright side, now that we know what to do, everyday can be Strawberry Day, right at our own kitchen table. ' Letters to the editor Phone service a bargain Editor: Your recent editorial entitled "U S WEST rate proposal seems excessive" focused on several items requiring clarification. The $85 million in additional revenues and rate bal- - What's going on with the wagon train Guest My husband and I have been a part of the Sesquicentennial Wagon Train since April 17, and since that day I have heard the same three questions so many times I quit counting about a month ago. "Why are those people doing this?" "How did they get to do this?""What's going on out there?" Even-onwants to know. Well, just so I don't have to repeat myself another six hundred times (not that I really mind, but I probably won't talk to all of you here it is for all to read. First, let me demystify a few things: no, these modem-dapioneers do not have to bathe in streams, drink from the river, or kill their own food; they also do not have to "potty" in the bushes or go all day without food or water. In fact, they really have it quite easy compared to their forebears. Most of them sleep in waterproof roomy tents, motor homes or campers. They don't have to carry all of their belongings in wagons or handcarts, just the things they need for their day's journey. A bus hauls their tents, clothes and such items from one campsite to the next. And if they get tired of walking, they can climb on what is called the "Sag Wagon" for a breather. But don't get me wrong. What these people are doing is far from easy. They have given up much of "civilization" to strike out for the unknown. (Well, it's unknown to most of the participants anyway.) They have to travel in whatever weather conditions happen to greet them each day, over whatever terrain lies before them, and they do it day after day, walking often more than 20 miles a day. So why do they do it? The answer to that too, may be confused for a while, especially since we have a neighboring town with a similar name. But within a year, Eaglecrest will seem as familiar as Sego Lily and the division that the kids may feel at first by having to attend a different school than some of their friends will be lessened with each new activity that they will have at their school. This year marks my 20 year class reunion, and I'm rather surprised to be looking forward to attending. I haven't participated in any of the other three, perhaps because I didn't think anything would be different in only five years. Now that it has been two decades, I tend to think that it is time to renew acquaintances, even though it might be a shocker to see how much we have changed over the No strawberries at this Strawberry Days Editors i starts again, I will have to get used to the idea of covering a new school. The first few times people call from Eaglecrest, I will probably need a few minutes to compre- hend what they are talking about Readers, stuff you see on the news but the real spirit of the wagon train is taking place within the hearts and minds of the individuals participating. Most of the people I have interviewed say that the wagon train experience has changed them their perspectives, their priorities, their view of the pioneers. Each day these modern-da- y pioneers, young and old, rise early without complaint (most of the time), walk until their feet are blistered and their muscles ache, and laugh and sing even as they push handcarts up steep inclines or rescue participants in overturned wagons. You can often find them praying for strength, helping another who is more tired or sore or sunburned, and hugging each other in a spirit of friendship and brotherly love. Some have even found a love. One couple met and got engaged, others can be seen walkduring an evening stroll ing through camp, and the young people often flirt with one another, as young people do. Their days may seem monotonous to an outsider, but ask anyone on the trek and you'll find out that every moment of every day means something to them. Their thoughts, their conversations, their experiences are anything but boring. So what is going on out there? Well, those folks are having an exciting, hand-in-han- d hand-holdin- friendship-formin- ing, singing, wagon-drivin- blister-poppin- laughhandcart-pullin- g, good time, and they wouldn't change their lives right now for the world (although maybe for a nice long, hot bubble bath). ancing is not needed "to offset the cost of competition," as you stated in your editorial, but rather to help insure the health and viability of the state's core telephone network. You also claim that our proposal to increase local residential telephone service is excessive. Let me challenge that assumption with a few facts. No one enjoys the prospect of paying more for any service, but the last time the price for basic residential telephone service was increased was in 1987. In fact, since that time, there have been a series of rate decreases which has resulted in an overall reduction of about $6 per month. Therefore, even if the proposed $10 increase was fully approved, Utah customers would only be paying a few dollars more than when prices were at a peak level of $21 plus 10 years ago. At the same time, many of us take our telephone service for granted. Telephone service gives us the luxury of picking up the phone and one minute chatting with a neighbor and then the next conducting business with an associate in a remote part of the world. Hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Utah's infrastructure over past years have enabled those calls to be completed without problems. Many of us fail to realize the monetary investment that is required from U S WEST to maintain this complex network. Since 1986, U S WEST has invested more than $1.5 billion in Utah to develop and sustain this critical communications network. The network has been enhanced by virtually eliminating party lines, upgrading all switching systems to computer technology and completing a fiber optic backbone throughout the state. Other improvements also include the addition of advanced features that move data and video more quickly and efficiently and with protection from outages. The network improvements have brought Custom Calling Features to most areas, and now Voice Messaging and Caller ID services are bemg deployed. Continued investment is required to insure that our customers continue receiving reliable service.' That investment must come from prices paid by customers for telephone service. All this investment has been made without any increase in prices. That continued maintenance of the telephone network is 'i similar to the investment you must make to your home. For the last ten years, with no increase in fees, the telephone network has become more valuable because customers can reach more people. For example, in 1987 a customer in Salt Lake City could call 358,000 other numbers. Today, that same customer can call 544,000 other numbers at a price that is substantially less than 10 years ago. Similarly, in Utah County you can call many more customers now than 10 years ago and your rates are a lot less. While costs associated with the maintaining of a home are consistently rising, local telephone service in Utah is still priced among the lowest in the nation, ranking 42nd. In U S WESTs territory, Utah is rated as 12th lowest. The additional revenues and rebalancing of prices are needed to assure continued quality telecommunications services over our network. Ted Smith Utah Vice President US WEST Communications Making pageant a success Editor: I would'like to acknowledge and thank the many people who made this year's Miss Lehi Pageant a success. All of the members of the pageant committee put in endless hours and dedicate a big portion of their lives to our program. I would like to thank Bonnie Evans, Marci Oxborrow, Russ and Diane Daly, Renita Revill, Danaca Hadfield, Shauna Peterson, Lynette Davis, Clenyll Gerber.Jana Rampton, Jaylene Wycherly, Rhonda Nerdin, Annette Harris, David Haws, Jean Hatch, DeAnn Ashton, Kami Schiess and Katrece Wright for their help throughout the year. Thanks also to Jenn Elmer, Ashley Revill and Sara Jacobsen, Melissa Day, Gordon Fillmore and Shannon Sermen for helping with the set. I would also like to thank the community of Lehi for their underlying support of this program. It is because of this support and the great committee that I work with that we have been named as one of the best pageants in the sta'e. Thanks again, everyone! Annalese Evans " hi i |